Freebie! Ways to Honor Family and Friends at Your Wedding — Part 3: Heirlooms

You’re loving your freebie tips on personalized wedding elements to honor family and friends on the big day! Here is some more from my ebook, focusing on using family heirlooms in your wedding plans:

Family Heirlooms

1. Since wedding gown styles are now accented with a sparkling brooch – either on the bodice or in the back, you can honor your mother, grandmother, great-grandmother or an honored woman on your groom’s side by wearing her brooch as part of your ensemble.
2. Brooches are also popular accents for bouquet handles, so perhaps that brooch, or a cameo pin, can be your bouquet accent in tribute to its owner.
3. Wear the necklace your mom or grandmother wore on her wedding day. It might be a demure piece you wear only for the ceremony, and then you can change into a more dramatic sparkler for your reception.
4. Bracelets may be more fitting to your gown’s style, so wear an heirloom diamond tennis bracelet, or it may be that piece that your mom wore at her wedding, either as an heirloom or a gift from your father…which actually honors him as well.
5. A saint medallion owned by your grandmother can be pinned underneath the skirts of your dress or pinned onto your bouquet handle.
6. Rhinestone hair clips are often found in grandmothers’ jewelry boxes, and vintage hair accents are in for today’s weddings. If you slip these into your wedding day hairstyle, you add an element of your beloved grandmother’s style to your look.
7. Sisters can be honored too, by wearing their jewelry or hair clips for your wedding look.
8. Have your mother’s wedding-day headpiece re-made to include a slightly altered design, perhaps more or fewer rhinestones or faux gems.
9. You don’t have to be the one wearing the heirloom piece! Perhaps your mother can wear her mother’s jewelry, or if you have a daughter, a small rhinestone hairclip owned by her grandmother or great-grandmother is a pretty way to include honored relatives.
10. If an heirloom piece of jewelry doesn’t work for your wedding day look, wear it to your rehearsal dinner or engagement party.
11. Take some lace from your mother’s or grandmother’s wedding dress and use that as the wrap for your wedding bouquet.
12. Birdcage veils are in now, and if your grandmother wore one at her wedding, you might wear hers for your ceremony, or just for some post-ceremony photos if you’d rather wear a different style of headpiece for your ceremony.
13. Your groom can wear his father’s or grandfather’s pocketwatch, wristwatch or cufflinks during the wedding.
14. Handkerchiefs were musts in wedding days of old, so bring your grandmother’s along to the wedding to capture in some of your wedding photos.
15. Don’t forget that your future in-laws would love to be so honored, so ask if there are any costume jewelry heirloom pieces that you might be willing to work into your wedding look. It’s quite an honor!
16. If your mother’s or sister’s ring pillow fits with your ceremony style, and is in perfect condition, you might use that as your ring pillow. You can always pin on some pretty faux flowers or ribbon to make it your ‘own.’
17. Save a little bit of money and honor your parents by using their original cake topper for your wedding cake, or use it as the topper for your engagement party or rehearsal dinner cake if you have a different style in mind for your wedding cake’s accenting.
18. A mom’s or grandmother’s wedding shawl or wrap, or winter stole, can be a wedding day accessory – just be sure to get at least one pro photo of you wearing it!

Find more wedding freebie ideas in my book The Bride’s Guide to Freebies.

Freebie! Ways to Honor Family and Friends at Your Wedding, Part 2 — Florals

 

Welcome back to Part 2 of my freebie series! I decided to make my ebook a big freebie for you, sharing tips on how you can honor your family and friends at your wedding. This time, we’re talking wedding flowers and floral décor as a way to honor departed loved ones, or just give your nearest and dearest a special wedding tribute:

Florals

1. If you have a departed parent, leave a chair open for them at the ceremony, and place a single white rose on it.
2. Or, on the departed parent’s or grandparents’ chair, place their favorite type of flower.
3. Create a grand floral tribute arrangement displayed on a pedestal by your ceremony altar or chuppah, and write in your wedding program that the arrangement is in memory of your departed loved ones, listed by name.
4. If you’re marrying by the ocean or by a lake, set a floating floral piece in the water in memory of your departed relatives.
5. Incorporate into your wedding bouquet some of the same flowers your mother used in hers. Kate Middleton did this, using a type of florals used in Queen Elizabeth’s wedding bouquet, so it’s definitely a trend!
6. Decorate your wedding trellis or chuppah with some of the same flowers used in your parents’ weddings.
7. Use your birthmonth flower in your bouquet. See the list here.
8. Mix your birthmonth flower with your kids’ birthmonth flowers, or with your groom’s, your parents’, and so on.
9. Use flower that’s central to your culture, or to the region where your wedding will take place to add extra personalization to your bouquet or to your floral arrangements and décor. Let guests in on the meaning with pretty signs placed on their tables, or via a note in your printed wedding program.
10. Missing a departed relative? Use their birthmonth flower in your bouquet as a way to carry a little piece of them with you.
11. It doesn’t have to be your departed relative whose birthmonth flower is in your bouquet. If your groom’s mother of grandmother has passed away, using their birthmonth flower is a lovely tribute to his family and will be very touching to all, especially to him.
12. Create a small tribute floral arrangement, with a note explaining the meaning, on your family wedding photos table. Keep it subtle, so that it doesn’t come off like a funeral remembrance floral, and create a lovely sign naming the honored relatives.
13. Re-create your mother’s wedding bouquet as a special and sentimental floral feature on your family wedding photo table. The same can be done with your grandmother’s wedding bouquet. Again, create and display small signs sharing the meaning with guests.
14. You may have heard of the “Language of Flowers,” an age-old collection of symbolism attached to a wide variety of flowers and their colors. For instance, a white rose can mean ‘purity’ or ‘innocence.’ See the list here. Use these symbols to create pretty floral pieces for your relatives, and share the meanings with them.
15. Or, have relatives look over the Language of Flowers list of meanings and select their own flowers according to what they wish to ‘say’ with them.
16. Set apart the VIP chairs or pew at your ceremony by affixing pretty florals to the backs of seats where parents, grandparents, and other honored family members will sit. Spread the joy by doing this for the second or third rows where special relatives like great-aunts or godparents will sit.
17. If you have children or are blending your families, make the kids’ chairs extra-special by affixing special floral pieces to the backs of their chairs to give them a special chair of their own.
18. If you have a daughter or daughters, or your groom does, surprise them by giving them mini versions of your bouquet to carry, instead of a basket of flower petals.
19. Boutonniere styles can be personalized to honored men in the family, such as to fathers, grandfathers, great-uncles, godfathers and cultural honored men in the family to set them apart.
20. For men’s flowers, look again at the Language of Flowers to give their blooms special meanings.
21. During your ceremony, present your parents with long-stemmed roses or other flowers as a moment of love, thanks and tribute to them. This can be a surprise element not practiced at the rehearsal to pack an emotional impact.
22. Some cultures feature rituals of exchanging fruits, flowers and other items with parents and grandparents within the ceremony. Explore your culture’s good luck and prosperity rituals with parental involvement, and either use them as-is, or give them a modern twist. Relatives love it when you honor an ancestral rite in your modern wedding.
23. As guests depart your ceremony, have an attendant distribute small flowers to each, that they are to tuck into a trellised décor feature that already has an arrangement of flowers in it. Instruct guests to do so while thinking good wishes for you, and then have your photographer capture that pretty floral décor structure for your wedding album.
24. Your new family monogram letter can be spelled out in flowers on the lawn where your outdoor ceremony, cocktail party or reception will take place.
25. If you’ll marry in a garden or sprawling grounds, have your floral designer create flower petal tributes to your relatives, such as your parents’ first initials of S + D and your groom’s parents’ initials of M + H, and so on…beautifully-done and photo-captured as soon as they’re created so that the wind doesn’t ruin the effect before photos can be taken.
26. Kids’ initials can also be spelled out in flower petals on the grounds’ lawn as a special tribute to them as well.
27. Florals hanging from trees can be inspired by the same flower types used at relatives’ weddings, with a note in your program saying that’s the design inspiration. Be sure the flower types work together, so that you don’t have non-seasonal or clashing flowers in this display. Work with your floral designer to perfect this unique and pretty outdoor wedding display.
28. Floral wreaths can adorn your ceremony site’s doors, with your birthmonth flowers or family members’ wedding flowers included.
29. Back to the table of family wedding photos or portraits: add little touches of floral prettiness with tiny sprigs attached to each frame, and the same type of flower sprinkled on the table top for a budget-friendly, super-stylish effect.

Love this freebie? Find out how to get more in my book The Bride’s Guide to Freebies.

 

 

Freebie! Ways to Honor Family and Friends at Your Wedding — Pt 1: Photos and Video

Today starts a new series on the blog — 100 Ways to Honor Your Family and Friends at Your Wedding. Yes, this is a freebie from my e-book, so enjoy!

First up is ideas for your photo and video display at your cocktail party or reception:

Family Photos and Video

1. At your engagement party, set up a table filled with photos of your own courtship and engagement portraits – guests love to see those – and also display photos of your parents’, grandparents’ and siblings’ courtship and engagement photos, with a sign saying, “We come from a long history of love.”
2. In addition to framed photos of your engagement and courtship photos, set up a digital photo frame to play a slideshow of those family photos.
3. At your wedding, fill your family photos table with framed photos of your parents’, grandparents’ and siblings’ wedding portraits, and again set up that digital photo frame to play a slideshow of those gorgeous all-wedding pictures.
4. Do a treasure hunt of those fabulous, old black-and-white wedding photos from your great-grandparents’ era. Ask relatives if they have any way-back wedding pictures in frames or in photo albums, and you’ll likely find some amazing treasures in the family. Take those photos, and – here’s the secret! – bring them to a professional photographer or qualified photo shop to have them digitally-restored. Marks and spots can be erased, the shade can be freshened to provide better contrast, details such as the lace of your great-grandmother’s dress will stand out. Your new and improved old-time photos go on display at your wedding, and – surprise! – you give copies of the new-and-improved photos to the relatives after the wedding.
5. At your bridal shower, create a Lovely Ladies photo table with amazing pictures of you and your mom, grandmom, your sisters, favorite aunts, your mom with her sisters…it’s a table tribute for all the fabulous women in your life. You can also do a separate table of framed or digital photo frame slideshow images of you with your best female friends.
6. On the family photo table, mix up framed family wedding photos with framed printouts of each relative’s wedding song lyrics or their vows. If the color scheme works, using parchment paper gives an elegant look for all the print display items, or choose a colored paper like blush blue or blush pink to coordinate with flowers that will be displayed on the table as well.
7. Add to your family photos table framed quotes about family, love, and marriage. They might be the same quotes used in your parents’ wedding, or simply quotes that remind you of them. Visit www.quotegarden.com to get inspiration, or look for quote memes on Pinterest.
8. Of course, if you have children, create a family photo table featuring great pictures of you with your kids, and just of the kids themselves. They might be your self-taken photos, or you might schedule a professional, styled photo shoot to take all-new family and kid photos. They might be the classic everyone-dressed-in-the-same-colors group shots on the beach, or they might be themed like a 1920s-era costumed photo shoot, even something fun and playful like all pictures at the zoo.
9. Line an entryway wall with fun photos of your extended family, with a budget display method: suspending them at different heights from a hung rod via colorful ribbons. Be inclusive, though…line the opposite wall with photos of your friends and their spouses, or solo photos as the case may be. It’s best to ask permission from everyone, and have them submit photos they’d like shown, rather than grabbing pictures from everyone’s Facebook albums.
10. Prior to the wedding, take photos of relatives, especially kids like your nieces, nephews or your own children, holding up DIY’d signs saying ‘Reception This Way,’ ‘Ceremony This Way,’ or ‘Welcome to the Wedding’ and then enlarge and display these photos as a great twist on the classic wedding signs that direct guests to the different locations for your celebration. Having the little ones in those photos is an adorable way to give them a spotlight in what would otherwise be just another wedding décor item.
11. This one is more for the engagement party or for the rehearsal dinner. Send out an email asking all of your relatives to respond with the story of how they met their spouse, and send you a photo of themselves. You can then scan these to make an inexpensive photo book at Shutterfly or other budget-friendly site, and put it on display at your family-attended party…with your ‘how we met’ story right up front.
12. I love this idea I saw on Pinterest: as aisle or pew décor, hang up pretty, 4” x 4” framed photos of your relatives, not as seating chart markers but just as pretty and personalized family-centric ceremony décor. If you wish, make them all black and white to suit your all-white floral scheme and black-and-white aisle runner, or use colorful photos in all matching frames tied on with a wide ribbon and bow.
13. Use that digital photo frame to show family photos at the rehearsal dinner; showcasing photos of the family and best friends at this VIP event is a great tribute to them…way better than showing just photos of yourselves.
14. Guests who cannot attend the wedding due to distance, illness, pregnancy, deployment or other situations can tape and send video greetings to you, and you can play them during the rehearsal dinner. Skyping one close relative might be an option, but keep it as a plan for just one or two close relatives. If you have a dozen, your party gets taken over by a lot of on-computer time.
15. I love this idea! If your ancestors arrived in this country via Ellis Island, go to www.ellisisland.org to run a search on your ancestors by last name. You may find amazing views of their signatures on the arrival records or ship list, as well as a photo of the ship on which they arrived. These too can go on display on your family photo table, or as a fabulous display of its own at the cocktail party.
16. Within family keepsake treasures, you might find your great-grandmother’s journal with an entry about her upcoming wedding, or her sweet feelings for her suitor. With family permission, you might scan and enlarge these priceless hand-written entries and display them in your entrance hallway, above the guest book, and or even at the bridal shower. It’s easy and inexpensive to take written family heirlooms, scan and process them and put them on display for your wedding celebration.
17. Instead of a book of ‘how they met’ stories with photos, consider putting together a photo book that pairs family wedding portraits with copies of their wedding vows. It could be a scan of their original, hand-written vow notes, or you might type them up in pretty font and in a coordinated layout style for a sentimental keepsake that can be built upon in the future by other relatives and maybe your own children someday.

My new book Weddings Away is Taking Off! Thank you to my readers and reviewers for grabbing my destination wedding and parties book!

Weddings Away is FREE on Kindle Unlimited right now! Get it here.

Freebie! Bridal Shower Game Makeover: Wedding Day Predictions

‘People will always remember how you made them feel.’ – Maya Angelou

The great Dr. Maya Angelou wasn’t talking about bridal shower games, but her wisdom rings true for bridal shower games that make people feel out-of-the-loop, like they have a great big spotlight on them for being the one person who doesn’t know where the bride and groom met, or what kind of ice cream the bride loves best.

Not every guest at the bridal shower knows her like a best friend would – think future sister-in-law from across the country, or great aunts who know the bride’s mother best of all. So a bridal shower game that hinges on knowing the bride best could very well make some guests hate bridal shower games even more than they already do. Especially if their scorecards or answers are read out loud.

(Is there anything worse than a roomful of people egging you on to read your wrong answers out loud, or booing if you don’t want to? Ugh!)

So to avoid any discomfort for your bridal shower guests, it might be best to offer a game that has no wrong answers, and doesn’t require knowing the bride’s dating history.

Like predictions about the wedding. Now, closest friends will know about her venue, and maybe even her wedding gown designer, but overall, guests can let their imaginations soar, and write down their predictions about the wedding plans that can be read aloud on a volunteer basis, with the rest tucked away for the bride to read later.

And this game works well at a co-ed bridal shower, too. Everyone gets to use their humor, coming up with silly or out-there predictions, and of course super-sweet predictions like ‘…and this will be the best wedding ever!’

Here is your bridal shower game makeover:

Wedding Day Predictions:

What time will the bride wake up on the morning of the wedding?

What time will the groom wake up on the morning of the wedding?

Who will the bride text first on the morning of the wedding?

What will that text say?

Who will the groom text first on the morning of the wedding?

What will that text say?

Which bridesmaid will be the first to arrive at the bride’s house?

Which bridesmaid will be the first dressed?

The bride’s gown – sexy or elegant?

What silly photo pose will the photographer ask the bride and her bridesmaids to do during their pre-wedding photo shoot?

What color will the bride’s manicure be?

Will the groom be able to tie his own bowtie, or will he need help from someone else?

Will there be a crying baby at the ceremony?

Which kinds of musicians will play at the ceremony?

The first kiss: proper or passionate? (A more proper way to say ‘tongue or no tongue.’)

What will guests shower the bride and groom with after the ceremony is done?

What will be the couple’s first dance song?

Name a dish that will be on the cocktail party menu.

What will the signature drink be? And what’s the story behind it?

What will the wedding cake flavor(s) be?

Name one song that’s on the couple’s Do Not Play list for their deejay or band?

What’s the song that gets everyone on the dance floor?

Who’s going to be the first to be cut off at the bar for having had too much to drink/getting sloppy?

Which guests can you see hooking up at the wedding? And dating afterward?

Name the couple’s wedding hahtag:

 

Use some, use all, or scrap these and make up some of your own, remembering to keep it proper for mixed company. Parents are likely to play, so you don’t want to predict anything improper.

Have fun! Print up card on pretty paper, use decorative hole punches, and skip the glitter!

Get more bridal shower game ideas from my Kindle book The Ultimate Bridal Shower Idea Book.

Wedding Freebie By Request: The “How Well Do You Know the Groom?” Bridal Shower Game Printable

Marilyn W. responded to my post ‘The NEW ‘How Well Do You Know the Bride?’ Game’ asking if I knew of any ‘How Well Do You Know the GROOM?’ quiz printables, so I decided to write one up for her! (And for you, if you’d like to use this free printable at your party!)

I’m all about giving bridal shower games a new twist, and since so many co-ed bridal showers are happening now (why should the guys miss out on the food and fun?) a ‘how well do you know the groom?’ game is definitely a unique twist. Just copy and print out this game sheet:

We love bridal shower games! When they’re fresh, fun and unlike the games that all of the guests have played a dozen times before, that is! That’s why we’re making over traditional bridal shower games, and we’re making it ultra-easy on you to copy and print out our updated bridal shower game cards!

And we invite you to post your suggested questions in the Comments section. Your question could be asked at millions of bridal showers across the country!

How Well Do You Know the Groom?

1. What was the groom’s very first favorite Halloween costume from when he was a little boy? ________________________________________________________________________
2. What was the groom’s first-ever pet? You get extra points if you know the pet’s name (but guess anyway, just for kicks!) _________________________________________________
3. What was the groom’s first nickname? ____________________________________
4. Who was the groom’s childhood hero? ____________________________________
5. Who was the groom’s first-ever celebrity crush? ________________________
6. Who was the groom’s first-ever celebrity meeting? (Pro athletes after a game, etc.) ______________________________________________________________________
7. What was the first concert the groom ever attended? _____________________
8. Which concert would the groom be embarrassed to admit he attended? _________________________________________________________________
9. What was the groom’s first job? _______________________________________
10. What was the color of the groom’s first car? _____________________________
11. What was the first date the groom ever planned for the bride? _____________________
12. What was the first thing the groom ever cooked for the bride? _____________________
13. What was the first movie the groom and bride ever saw together? ________________________________________________________________________
14. If the groom could choose one actor to portray him in a movie about his life, who would he pick? ____________________________________________________________________
15. If the BRIDE could choose one actor to portray the groom in a movie about HER life, who would she pick? _________________________________________________________________
16. If the groom could win a walk-on role on any television show, which show would it be? _____________________________________________________________________
17. What was the first thing the bride and groom booked for their wedding? _____________________________________________________________________
18. Which song would the groom dedicate to the bride at their wedding? _____________________________________________________________________
19. Name one of the locations the groom considered as the honeymoon spot? _____________________________________________________________________
20. Name the groom’s favorite cake flavor: _____________________________________
21. Name the groom’s drink: _________________________________________________
22. Which song would the groom sign at karaoke, if sober? _________________________
23. Which song would the groom sing at karaoke, if drunk? _________________________________________________________________
24. If the groom could invite any celebrity guest to the wedding, who would he invite? __________________________________________________________________
25. Who was the first one to say, ‘I Love You?’ The bride or the groom? __________

Get more ideas from my Ultimate Bridal Shower Idea Book:

Bridal Shower Game Makeover! The New ‘How Well Do You Know the Bride?’ Quiz

We love bridal shower games! When they’re fresh, fun and unlike the games that all of the guests have played a dozen times before, that is! That’s why we’re making over traditional bridal shower games, and we’re making it ultra-easy on you to copy and print out our updated bridal shower game cards!

The ‘How Well Do You Know the Bride?’ quiz is one of those games that needed a makeover pretty badly, so we have all-new questions for your quiz. And we invite you to post your suggested questions in the Comments section. Your question could be asked at millions of bridal showers across the country!

How Well Do You Know the Bride?

1. Who was the bride’s first-ever celebrity crush? ________________________
2. What was the first concert the bride ever attended? _____________________
3. What was the first designer-label item the bride ever bought? _____________
4. What was the bride’s first job? ______________________________________
5. What was the color of the bride’s first car? ____________________________
6. Who is the bride’s current, biggest celebrity crush? ______________________
7. What’s the first movie the bride ever saw with the groom? ________________
8. If the bride could win a walk-on role on any television show, which show would it be? ____________________________________________________________
9. If the bride could have any celebrity play her in a movie about her life, which celebrity would she choose? _________________________________________
10. If the bride could have any celebrity or group perform at the wedding, who would it be? ____________________________________________________________
11. What was the first thing the bride and groom booked for their wedding? _______
12. How many wedding dresses did the bride try on before finding The One? ______
13. Which song would the bride dedicate to the groom at the reception? ___________
14. What’s the color of the bride’s favorite lingerie? __________________________
15. What’s the bride’s favorite coffee order? ________________________________
16. What’s the bride’s favorite cupcake order? _______________________________
17. Name a charity the bride supports ______________________________________
18. Name one of the bride’s childhood Halloween costumes ____________________
19. Which song would the bride sing at karaoke:
a. If sober: ____________________________________________________
b. If drunk: ____________________________________________________
20. Who was the first one to say, ‘I Love You?’ The bride or the groom? __________

More Bridal Shower Game makeovers to come! To get yours in advance, just pick up The Ultimate Bridal Shower Idea Book

Wedding Symbolism: The Finch Brings Happiness, Joy, Health and a Fun Celebration to your Big Day

Photo: TopAnimalSites.net

 

Weddings are full of symbolism, bringing good luck and all kinds of wonderful, positive things to a marriage. So it’s no wonder that brides choose hummingbirds, dolphins, dragonflies and all kinds of lovely symbolic motifs into their wedding invitation designs, their wedding décor, their bridal showers, and even their personal wedding websites. Each of these symbolic animals – also known as ‘totems’ in some cultures – add a touch of good luck to the couple’s happily ever after.

Right now, birds are a top trend in wedding motifs, and I’ve chosen for this new Wedding Symbolism post a pretty, bright little bird: The Finch. Here are the symbolic meanings of the Finch:

• Appreciation
• Diversity
• Enjoying the Journey
• Happiness
• Healthful Diet
• High Energy
• Honoring Resources
• Joy
• Simplicity
• Variety

Legend has it that finches symbolize ‘bright times ahead’ or ‘bright days on the horizon,’ which couldn’t be more perfect for a wedding.

Native American culture holds the finch as a bird of happiness, since they’re so brightly-colored, and their flight patterns are joyful, ebullient, a bouncy, joyful pattern of bobbing through the air in complete delight. As a symbol for your marriage, think ‘We won’t always go from Point A to Point B in our marriage, but we’re going to make the journey a fun, playful one.’ The lesson of the finch is this: enjoy the journey!

Native American symbolism also calls the finch a harbinger of upcoming celebration, which again fits so perfectly with a save the date card or wedding invitation – a great celebration is on the way! And looking ahead at your many years of happy marriage, even more upcoming celebrations are ahead of you. So says the finch.

Getting a little deeper, animal symbolism also calls the finch’s birdsong to be an invitation to listen to your own song, and to sing it out loud. Don’t hide your brilliance from the world.

If you’re confused about the healthful diet symbolism of the finch, here’s where it comes from: a finch’s bright color comes from the food that it eats. The healthier its diet, the more vibrant it is. So that old adage ‘You are what you eat’ is reflected in the finch, as a lesson to make healthy living a top priority in your future together, so that both of you can be bright, happy, energetic, radiant and at your best.

Since finches are known to nest in a variety of places, the symbolism for the finch is ‘make a happy home,’ or ‘thrive where you are,’ or ‘appreciate where you are in life, and make your place your own.’

Finches brighten the day of anyone who sees them, and since they’re not a rare bird, they’re pretty much visible everywhere, and very often. So show up and make someone’s day even brighter…which you and your groom will definitely do on your wedding day!

 

Visit my website www.sharonnaylor.net to get my newest books for brides, bridesmaids and the moms, use my free worksheet, and find out where I’m going to be appearing next!

 

Wedding Decor: Symbolism of the Dragonfly

Dragonflies are everywhere…particularly in decor motifs for Save the Dates, wedding invitations and programs, placecards and as themes for nature-inspired bridal showers.

Since weddings carry a great deal of symbolism from the meanings of different flowers to wearing veil, I’d like to share the symbolism of the dragonfly.

According to Animal Symbolism experts, the dragonfly represents a number of fabulous things that apply especially beautifully to the occasion of your wedding. Here’s the list:

* Dragonflies represent change, since they are creatures of the ever-changing winds. So you could say that the ever-changing winds of the future will carry you to unexpected and beautiful places.

* Dragonflies are creatures of the water, and water symbolizes the most essential element of life, as well as the subconscious, so you can expect pleasant dreams.

Other symbols attached to the dragonfly are:

* Prosperity

* Good luck

* Strength

* Peace

* Harmony

* Purity

These meanings are inspired by Native American and Asian lore, and some tribal educators say that dragonflies carry messages requiring deep thought, so ‘pay attention to your deepest wishes.’

Not to be morbid, but a dragonfly lives a short life, so it’s a reminder to live life to the fullest as well.

If you’re choosing a dragonfly for your wedding motif, or a bridal shower motif, you might be delighted to learn these symbolic meanings, and you’re always free to ascribe additional meanings to it, for your own personalization. You might think, “There are no limits to where the dragonfly can go,” and “We’ll be explorers of our world.”

I’ve got the scoop on all types of animal symbolism, so just let me know which ones you’d like to see in an upcoming post!

Visit my site www.sharonnaylor.net for free wedding worksheets, checklists and a look at my newest books!

Wedding Symbolism: The Peacock

 

Peacock feathers are a top wedding trend, as a motif on invitations, wedding programs and thank you notes, and some brides are working peacock feathers into their centerpieces and color schemes. Bold, dramatic blues and purples evoke the colors of the brightly-colored peacock, and you’ll even find in nature all-white peacocks with graceful fanlike tails.

With peacock themes and colors going strong in wedding world, I thought I’d continue my series on animal symbolism with the peacock. Since so many elements of a wedding have a long history of symbolism bringing luck to the marriage, here is what the peacock’s symbolism can mean to your day:

• Integrity
• Showing your true colors
• Nobility
• Holiness
• Guidance
• Protection
• Watchfulness
• Great vibrancy
• “A walk of faith”
• Self-esteem booster
• Vision
• Refinement
• Spirituality
• Incorruptibility (a take on that ‘forsaking all others’ line from traditional wedding vows!)

In Greco-Roman mythology, the peacock is connected to Hera/Juno who, lore says, made the peacock from Argus with his hundred eyes. Thus, that mark on the peacock’s tail feathers that looks like an eye and in some legends symbolizes the “eyes of the stars.”

In Hindu culture, the Peacock is associated with the deity Lakshmi, representing benevolence, patience, kindness, compassion and good luck.

The peacock is also a symbol of Kwan-Yin in Asian lore, as an emblem of love, compassionate watchfulness, nurturing and kind-heartedness.

In Persian lore, the peacock symbolizes protection over royalty (and since you’re the queen of your wedding day….)

In Christian lore, the peacock represents the “all-seeing” church and has been connected to renewal as well as holiness.

So those are some of the top symbols of the peacock. How much do you love that for your wedding’s theme graphics or décor colors and accents now?